One of the massive announcements made at Nintendo Direct was a return to the Mario Strikers series, with Mario Strikers Battle League the new game for Switch.
Mario Strikers Charged was the last in the franchise that we saw, and that was on the Wii 15 years ago!
Table of Contents
Find out everything we know about the controls for the new Mario Strikers game below, then you can be primed and ready for when it is released.
Release Date
For those itching to get on the game, the good news is that there isn't that long to wait.
Mario Strikers Battle League will be coming to Nintendo Switch on Friday, 10 June, and it already looks like it is many Nintendo fans' most anticipated title of 2022.
Gameplay & New Features
The trailer for Mario Strikers Battle League showed a return of the frantic gameplay we all love, with chaos from items and roughhousing to send players flying into the electric fence.
One of the new introductions to the game is character customisation, where the gear you pick for your player will affect their stats on the field, including strength, speed, shooting, passing and technique.
Additionally, there will be new special moves, items and Hyper Strikes, adding to the personality of characters on the pitch.
Multiplayer will be available both online and locally, allowing up to 8 players to play at the same time.
Online Clubs will let up to 20 players join a team and battle it out with others online, amassing points throughout the season, climbing the rankings, and aiming to finish at the top of the table.
For players that want to join together on the pitch for the same team, the game will support up to 8 players with 4 allowed per team in individual matches.
Check out the new Mario Strikers Battle League trailer in full below:
Controls
We haven't had a controls list released yet, but we can make an educated guess based on previous games in the series.
Movement
Position yourself on the pitch, aim your passes, tackles and shots, all using the left stick (or the only stick if using a single Joy-Con controller).
Hold the R button to give your character some extra speed with Turbo Run.
Shooting
If you don't shoot, you can't score. If you can't score, you won't win!
There are a few different ways to shoot:
- Basic Shot (B) - your go-to shot
- Chip Shot (L+B) - a variation on the basic shot, but lofted
- Special Shot - unique to each character, this gives you a greater chance at scoring
- Hyper Strike - collect an orb, find some space to power up, then unleash a shot that gets you two goals
Goalkeepers have been notoriously hard to beat in past Mario Strikers games, so it may be worth focussing on the Special Shot and Hyper Strike.
Passing
Again, there are a couple of different passes you can make in the game:
- Basic Pass (A) - your bread-and-butter
- Lob Pass (L+A) - a variation on the basic pass, but lofted
Passing will be the easiest way to get your team up the field, as you will find yourself hampered when on the ball.
Tackling
There is also likely to be two different ways to tackle when playing:
- Slide Tackle (B) - your shoot button will make tackles when out of possession
- Big Hit (Y) - when you don't feel a regular tackle is enough you can send the opposition flying with a Big Hit
Items
During the match, you will be able to gain items such as banana skins and bombs.
Use the X button to use your power-up items and cause a right nuisance on the field.
Pre-order
Mario Strikers Battle League is available for pre-order now on the Nintendo E-Shop with a pricetag of $59.99, so you can secure your copy now for Nintendo Switch!
The game's file size clocks in at 3GB, so you may need to clear some hard drive space before picking the game up.